Blind Date
by RedBeautyFTW
Summary: Belle helps Ruby prepare for her blind date with someone she's not quite expecting…


"You should totally try online dating!"

Belle dropped her fork as the blonde's words echoed through the diner. She quickly turned her attention to Ruby and watched as the curiosity overtook her beautiful features. "No.." Belle laughed, shaking her head as she slowly picked up her fork again. "Ruby doesn't need to go online to get a date."

Emma's brow knitted together. "It's better than going to a bar." she stated, her fork midway between her plate and her lips. She placed the fork down and turned her attention fully to Ruby. "Think about it. You go online, you chat, you connect, you meet." She shrugged. "And then you fall in love and you don't have to be alone anymore."

Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but Belle spoke first. "She's not alone, she has me." Belle interjected, feeling the blush rise up her cheeks as Emma and Ruby both flashed her a strange look. "A-and you." She swallowed nervously. "What more does she need?"

Emma continued to look at Belle like she had two heads. "She needs a girlfriend."

Ruby placed her hand on Belle's arm before she could speak again. She smiled at her friend. "Can I say something?" she asked as Belle pressed her teeth into her bottom lip and nodded. She turned her attention to Emma. "How do we get started?"

"Yes!" Emma exclaimed, triumphantly.

Belle's jaw slacked. "You can't be serious, Ruby?"

Ruby shrugged her shoulder. "It doesn't hurt to try."

"But, what if you meet some weirdo? What if someone lures you in and-"

Ruby chuckled lightly cutting Belle off in mid sentence. "It'll be okay, Belle." She checked her watched, her eyebrows raised when she noticed the time. "Shit, I gotta get back to work." She slid out of the booth and looked at Emma. "I'll come by later and we can get started."

Emma smiled and nodded. "Sure thing."

"Thanks, Emma." She glanced at Belle, touching her chin lightly. "I'll come see you after I'm done at Emma's, okay?"

Belle forced a smile. "Okay." She watched as Ruby grabbed her plate and headed to the back of the Diner. Once Ruby was out of sight, she banged her hands on the table causing Emma to jump. "What are you trying to do?"

Emma made a face and laughed lightly. "Relax, Belle."

"I will not relax!" she shouted, louder than intended. She cleared her throat and decided to speak in a harsh whisper. "You know how I feel about her."

"Yeah, and you still haven't told her."

Belle leaned back in her seat, pushing her plate away from herself. She suddenly lost her appetite. "I can't do that."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know." She took a bite of out her food. "What if she doesn't feel the same way? What if she rejects you? Blah blah blah."

The librarian narrowed her eyes at Emma's mocking. "Well, you didn't have to offer her up for auction."

"I didn't offer her up for auction." Emma sighed, placing her fork back down.

"Yes, you did." Belle's face contorted as she mocked Emma. "You should totally try online dating. It's so much better than the bar scene."

Emma gave her flat stare. She raised her finger. "First of all, I don't sound like that." She leaned forward, a small smirk on her lips. "And, second, you need to trust me. I have a plan."

* * *

Ruby laughed as the message popped up on her screen. She had taken Emma's guidance and tackled an online chatroom. After a few random conversations, she came across one that held her attention. She had been chatting with this woman for over a few weeks and found herself rushing home to meet her online.

She felt awful though. She had been neglecting her time with Belle ever since this "relationship" started. She missed two movie nights and a lunch date they had planned. Belle said she understood. That she was pretty busy at the library so it gave her time to catch up on a few things, but Ruby still couldn't help but feel guilty. She missed her best friend, but she really liked this girl.

_"So what now?"_

__Ruby stared at the message, slightly confused. "_What do you mean?" _she typed back quickly.

There was a short pause before a long message popped up on her screen. Ruby read it carefully, her eyes widened and she gasped. Emma walked into the room and placed a bottle of water onto the desk. "Something wrong?" she asked, taking a sip from the bottle.

Ruby leaned back in the chair and looked up at her friend. "She wants to meet."

Emma smiled, slapping her arm playfully. "That's awesome. You should totally do it."

"I don't know." Ruby shifted the chair from side to side. She squinted slightly. "What if Belle's right?"

"About what?"

"What if she's trying to lure me into something?" She held her hand out toward the screen. "What if it's not even a girl?"

Emma shook her head and laughed. "You're panicking for no reason."

"She doesn't have a picture. Just a picture of a wolf..." A small smile appeared on her lips. "Which is kinda what grabbed my attention in the first place."

Emma glanced at the screen, shaking her head at the profile photo of a black wolf. She huffed a small laugh and rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it's fine." She rested her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "And if she's crazy, your very good friend is a Sheriff and only a phone call away."

Ruby played anxiously with her hands. "You're right." She breathed out and leaned toward the keyboard. "I'm going to do it."

"You do it!" Emma encouraged with a quick nod.

"Okay." She cracked her knuckles and took in a deep breath. "Okay." She pressed her fingers to the keys and started to type back her response.

_"How about we meet at LeFou's for a drink? It's not as loud as the Rabbit Hole and we can actually talk. Get to know each other a little better."_

__She hesitated for only a moment before hitting enter. The nervous energy started to move through her body as she waited for the woman on the other end to respond. She ran her hand through her hair and her leg bounced. Even when Emma rested her hand on her shoulder to relax her, it still shook violently.

The box lit up and Ruby smiled when she read the response. _"Tomorrow at eight? :)"_

_"Sounds great. I guess I'll see you then."_

__Ruby smiled brightly, holding her hand out to Emma. "Looks like I've got a date."

Emma beamed, proud of her plan. "Looks that way." she replied, slapping her hand against Ruby's.

* * *

Belle peered over her book, watching as Ruby looked through her closet for something to wear. Her attention was pulled from it once again when she heard Ruby muttering and hangers screeching across at pole. She could tell her friend was nervous and she couldn't help but smile at how cute it was.

When Ruby asked her to come over and help her pick out an outfit for her date, she was hesitant. She couldn't resist the adorable pleading tone in her friend's voice so she put on her cutest dress and went to her place. The waitress had been talking about the woman she met the entire time and Belle started to tune it out. Her stomach tightened at every mention of how perfect this woman seemed.

"She sounds wonderful." Belle muttered as she returned her attention to the book. "I'm sure you'll have a great time."

"I hope so." Ruby grabbed a shirt and jeans out of her closet. She looked at Belle who was playing absolutely no attention to her. A small smirk crossed her lips. "I'm going to go change then you have to give me your opinion, okay?"

Belle nodded, never lifting her eyes from the book. "That's what I'm here for, right?"

"Right." Ruby responded, furrowing her brow a bit at Belle's tone. She took a step closer and raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

"Uh huh." Belle licked her finger as she turned the page. "I'm perfectly fine." She glanced up at Ruby for a second, offering a quick smile then returned her eyes to the book.

Ruby chuckled lightly. She looked away for a second before turning back to Belle. "Are you sure?"

Belle dropped her book. "Yes." she laughed, shaking her head. She waved her hand. "Go get changed. You don't want to keep Miss. Perfect waiting." She raised the book up and started to read again.

"Oh.. okay.." She turned and walked toward the bathroom, a confused look on her face. She watched Belle for a moment before slowly closing the door behind her.

Belle lowered her book again, releasing a deep sigh. She was nervous. She wasn't sure if she could go through with this. She shifted again, sitting straight in the chair as she tried to build her courage. She had to say something. "Ruby!" she called out as the bathroom door slowly opened.

Belle felt her heart race and her breath catch at the sight before her. Ruby emerged wearing her favorite tight black shirt, revealing the toned arms that Belle loved so much. She had on form fitting jeans and black leather boots that came up to her knees. Ruby held her arms out and turned so Belle could see the entire outfit.

"How do I look?"

Belle opened her mouth, but no words escaped. She cleared her throat and attempted to speak again. "You, uh, you look beautiful."

Ruby beamed at her friend and started walking closer. The sound of her boots clicking on the floor echoing through the room. "Thanks." She stood over Belle, crossing her arms against her chest. "What's up?"

Belle shook her head to snap herself out of her daze. "I'm sorry?"

"You called my name." Ruby reminded, drawing her brow together questioningly.

"OH!" Belle shook her head and waved her hand. "Nothing. It was.." She released a breath she didn't know she was holding and smiled. "Nothing."

Ruby flashed her a suspicious look. "Alright." She reached over Belle and grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair. She slipped it on. "Are you going to hang out here until I get back?"

Belle shook her head. "No." She forced a small smirk on to her lips. "What if the date goes really well and you want to bring her back here? How would it look if I was waiting for you?"

Ruby laughed as she adjusted the jacket. "I doubt I'm going to bring a girl back to my place after one date."

Belle shrugged as she raised herself from the chair. "You never know." She reached out and brushed Ruby's hair away from her shoulders. She looked into her friend's eyes as her hands slipped down the front of her jacket. "I hope she turns out to be exactly what you always wanted."

Ruby stared into her eyes, lost in how blue and gorgeous they were. She cleared her throat, remembering that she had a date to meet. "We'll see." She wrapped her arms around Belle, pulling her into a tight hug. "Be here when I get back, please?"

Belle hugged her back, closing her eyes as she took in the scent of Ruby's shampoo and perfume. "I have to do something at the library, but I'll come back after."

Ruby leaned back and looked into her eyes again. "You promise?"

Belle smiled, resting her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "I promise." She gave her a small kiss, lingering for a moment before moving away. "Have fun." She touched her face and offered a timid smile before walking toward the door and out of the room...

* * *

Ruby waited at the table for her date. She held a red rose in her hand, rolling it through her fingers anxiously. Her stomach was flipping like she had just gotten off a bad carnival ride. If she wasn't playing with the rose, she was pretty sure her hands were starting to shake. The waitress walked over and dropped a drink off at the table. Ruby thanked her with a smile and took a long sip. Anything to help calm her nerves was a blessing at this point.

"Starting without me?"

The sound of the voice startled her causing her to choke on her drink. She coughed wildly as she turned to look at the woman. Her eyes widened in surprise as she banged on her chest. "Belle?" she croaked, coughing one more time. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Belle took in a deep breath and clasped her hands together in front of herself. She slowly walked to the other side of the booth and slid in the seat so she was facing Ruby. She released a nervous breath and smiled. "I'm your date." she confessed, with a small shrug of her shoulders.

Ruby's eyes narrowed, the confusion slowly creeping across her face. "Wh-I don't understand."

Belle looked down at her hands, her teeth pressing hard into the side of her bottom lip. "Ruby, I-" She hesitated for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts together. She brought her attention to Ruby again. "I-I like you, Ruby... a lot. More than any friend should." She looked away for a moment unable to stare back into the hazel eyes staring at her with such confusion. "I-I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I didn't know how. Emma was tired of hearing me whine about it so she came up with this idea and now..." She raised her shoulders again, biting adorably down on her lip once more. "Here I am."

Ruby opened her mouth then closed it again. She breathed out and pointed at Belle. Again, her mouth opened and closed, but no words escaped. She leaned back in the booth, her face still riddled with confusion. Belle watched her as the worry began to run through her own body.

"Say something, Ruby, please?"

Ruby raised her hand, moving it as she spoke. "So, this whole time, I've been talking to you?"

Belle nodded.

"And you like me?"

"I do."

Ruby flashed an adorable crooked smile. "Like really like me?"

Belle couldn't stop the smile that spread across her lips. "Yes."

"Then this is for you." Ruby raised the rose and offered it to Belle.

Belle slowly reached out and accepted it. "You're not mad?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be mad?"

"Because your date turned out to be me." Belle spoke softly, ashamed at the way she went about this. She smelt the rose with a small smile. "And I'm far from perfect."

Ruby huffed a laugh. "You're the closest thing to perfect I've ever known." she admitted, flashing her beautiful smile. "To be honest, I was debating on cancelling because I wanted to stay home with you." She reached out and took Belle's hand. "That's why I wanted you to be there when I came home. I hadn't spent any time with you since I started the online thing and I missed you."

Belle felt the blush rise into her cheeks. "So, you're not disappointed?"

"Absolutely not." Ruby said, quickly. Her thumb caressed the back of Belle's hand.

Belle shifted her hand, intertwining their fingers. "So what do we do now?"

"Want to get out of here?" Ruby asked. "Go back to my place. Maybe watch a movie?"

Belle smirked and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you weren't planning on bringing your date back to your place tonight?"

Ruby gave her a flat stare. "Well, since my date is the woman I actually wanted to spend my evening with, I think it's okay." She motioned her head toward the side. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

They slid out of the booth and started toward the door. Ruby yanked on Belle's hand pulling her back into her arms. She looked into her eyes, brushing her hair behind her ear. They moved toward one another until their lips touched lightly. Both women smiled as they pulled back slowly from one another.

"I'm happy it was you." Ruby whispered, running her fingers through Belle's soft brown hair.

Belle closed her eyes and leaned into her touch. She opened her eyes slowly and smiled. "Remind me to thank Emma." she said as she gave her a small kiss and lead her out of the bar...


End file.
